In boise Lamont and I showed up at the airport about 5 to 5 and split up to go to our different airlines even though we were going to the same airport SEA. However, I quickly found out that I was actually going going to PDX. The flight was quick (I sat next to MIMI who was going to missoula) and when Lamont asked if I wanted to meet up in sea to get breakfast I had to tell him, oops. I am at pdx.
My phone did not update the time and I wondered why nobody was there to board me even though the flight took off in only 20 minutes. I figured it out and just waited. Eating rolos and a Starbucks bagel (just plain, they were out of asiago)
Since I was traveling with 100 dollar bills and j wanted to be able to buys stuff cheap (with dollar bills ) on hanoi I bought everything with the big bills to get more ones and fives.
Landed in YVR gonna turn in customs form, get charged up and find the long flight.
But wait, I am not canadian, so I shouldn't have put an entry onto that part of the form and the auto customs machine kept spitting it back at me. The lady said it was a green ink issue but I knew I needed to leave part c blank and the machine knew that with green ink. But I filled another one out. With blue ink.
Went through customs with some very inquisituve questions. (Pot is now legal in Oregon kinda now). Lost my new headphones , got told that reentry into interational customs is not okay, even in canada. Found a wall charger location and shared it with a friendly guy who flew home from pdx, after a hawaii business trip and went through a very quick security screen.
I sat down at the closest charge station and plugged in the usb.after about 5 minutes the phone was still at 2% so decided I would try the cube and I started charging immediately. I shouldn't have wasted precious time on a USB attempt.
After charging up to about 10% where I could take pictures again decided to go up to the booth and just say hi since it's only 45 minutes to my flight. There's a couple of very nice ladies speaking very animated lady in Korean and one of them said just one moment and I saw him pointing at a list. I peeked at it and saw my name was one of two that was not yet highlighted so I set hi my name is Michael Blood and they said Michael business class you should check in earlier so you can go to the lounge. I said darn. Then we had a discussion about my baggage . They said they were concerned that they couldn't find my bag so I told them it was checked all the way through t seoul. So they didn't need to worry about it I didn't think. They said okay and then ask to see my visa in order to get into hanoi. It's kind of interesting that they needed to check for that on this leg of the flight. The thing that was the most confusing that had to be figured out was that I was on a flight to know that I will be taking my bag in Korea staying overnight and then getting back on a flight in the morning in Korea to go to hanoi. Once they understood that things were no longer a problem and it was not a big deal that I no longer have my baggage tag. When one of the gentleman overheard that I was staying in South Korea he said do you already have your hotel booked. I said no but I asked if he had any recommendations. He said no there are too many good ones.
As I arrive in seoul. The shear number of people is large. Or course plenty of Koreans but lots of other nationalities too. We take 3 walkways and an escalator to a tram. To an up escalator to a HUGE line. The line said baggage claim and people were just piling in. There were lots of others going around the line strait but not near as many as we're getting in the line. I waited for a second and then decided I would go find out what was down the other lane. At the end of the lane there was another similar line that was much shorter but the signs said immigration and baggage claim. I wasn't sure what that would mean so I asked someone that was at a line that said visa (there was noone i this line) and they said it didn't matter, whichever. So I got in the short one . The line would e around several switchbacks but I was shuffling g forward ever 20 or 30 seconds. A friendly girl from China was in line behind me and she spoke nervously to her mom for a moment and then said in very broken English where from you. I said united states to a blank stare. Her mom thought about it for a moment and then explained "USA".
As I was in line, the announcements kept repeating and I finally listened and they said. If you have diarhea, abdominal cramps, or some other stuff, ease report to the quarantine office to avoid speak of o fectious disease.
I approached the end of the line after about 30 minutes. But in line it was rather fun with the girl constantly asking questions. And finally asking to take a picture with me. (Her mom pointed to the questions. On a translation app on her phone.) I said yes I took a self with her too. I gave her a business card and when she realized that was what I was about to do, her mom said something to her and I could see her physically get ready to receive it. She received it with both hands and bowed at me. She was 7.
A s I went through the line. A lady on s switchback dropped something. We were moving kind of quickly so I kind of messed up the queue when I helped the lady get her paper (all i really did was help point it out to someone else who handed it to her) the daughter talked to her mom and they used a translation app to say three word "you help people" which she said many times. I said yes. We ended up next to eachother in the final queue and she said bye, and I said by. And then slowly, and in my most Asian sounding way (I don't why I say things differently when talking to someone that is foreign) i say "nice to meet you". Which is the first thing she understands and repeats back to me, giggling. So cool.
After I go out I am directed to a baggage carousel which has my bag and a dozen others waiting. I think I took the long line. Everyone else is gone.
I wonder around and find departures on the third floor. I try to check in my bag but they will only accept it 2 hours before the flight. I ask about a locker and the person said no lockers, I ask for another option and they said hanging and pointed down the way. I didn't know what that meant but I walked down and found a place that was packing boxes for frieght. I finally went ip and found that they would just hold your bag and give you a ticket fo 9000 (covers ion rate was 1150) so I did it. And went in search of the subway. I wondered around for a bit and followed signs to the airport railroad. Turns out there are two of the railroads on is a subway. So I bought a ticket to myeongdong for 4250 and followed the increasingly cryptic signs to a subway. A very helpful person let me know that I just needed to get on the current train and take it to seoul station (which appears to be the end destination for this train) then she showed me on my map that myeongdong was only two stops down on train 4. I got on the train and left the airport.
I got my bag out of hanjin in a matter of moments and then just before the Korean airlines counters opens a huge line of people developed. Then a loud music played and all of the attendants came out and stood in front of their stations while some pledge played to promise good custo.er service or so thing. It was cool. The prestige line had 20,people in front of me. It saved me probably an hour.
Security was quick but since it had not opened there was a line waiting for it to open as well. It took about 30 minutes and most of that time was the agents making sure that they carefully put each person through one at a time. Then I got an awesome beer and breakfast in the prestige lounge got on the flight watched a movie and arrived in hanoi.
After getting off the flight in hanoi. The customs line was one minute outside of the plane, but it took about 25 minutes in line but then was very quick. I didn't have ti declare anything. Grabbed my bag and out in 30 minutes. There were several middle-aged men whispering taxi, trying to drum up business. However I didn't feel comfortable I went up to one of those buses that several people are getting on and I figured that he would need a right to make sure everyone who sitting together paid the same amount. Also he's not just trying to sell a single person on it and have them any of them so I wandered around a bit more trying to find out what the taxi calling situation was. I was not able to find easily a rate so I went up to a taxi driver with multiple seats in his van he was trying to fill. Instead of one person being his entire fare he needed to be having a price that will work for several people. I asked him what the rate was to the area of town I needed to go to about 4 blocks south of the . He said it would be $3 then I agreed but when he hadn't filled two seats we all agreed to pitch in another box of you would just go which we all do he colleed the money and then two more people came and got in the car. Then we stayed to town and I spoke with the two German gals next to me which were going on a hostel backpacking journey. The roads are crazy and he only brought me to downtown Hanoi next to the lake. Ethan said someone else would help me as well and the guy was more than willing to help me get on his motorcycle however I told him that if you really wanted to charge me $4 I will just walk so he said $2 and he drove me in the completely wrong direction at first then when he realizes mistake he turned around and got me right where I need to be.
Perfect!!!
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